1 Month Update

Alaise is 1 month old today. It's incredible. It's unbelievable. Did 1 month really go by since I gave birth? It's really difficult to comprehend. I'm afraid that I'm going to blink and next thing I know, her 18th birthday will be here. She is absolutely precious, I love her, I kiss her everywhere, I hug her, rock her, comfort her, whisper in her ears, and just adore her.

I was reading someone else's blog and came across this and it warms and breaks my heart at the same time...

*But for now I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.
*But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
*So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
*I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep.

I remember everyday, that my sweet pea won't stay this small very long, and it breaks my heart... But it is also absolutely exciting to see how she'll grow up.

She's growing steadily. I can already see she's gotten longer - in a little while, she won't be able to sleep in the bassinet anymore. She already takes up more room when I hold her. Her cheeks are nice and chubby. (We don't weigh her at home, so I don't know how much she weighs, but I'm pretty sure she is gaining plenty of weight!) Her hair has grown another half an inch. She can follow whatever she is focused on with her eyes. She is starting to smile a little - intentionally or unintentionally, I don't know. But it melts our hearts when she does. Her hair is getting lighter, and I think once she sees a bit of the sun, it will definitely get browner. I think her eye lashes have gotten a bit longer too.

She doesn't like to settle down for the evening, and Kris and I have started trying to get a routine going. Bath (full or sponge, she's SO good with baths and washing hair. SO good.), swaddling, food with me whispering, then bed. I think a lot of people do food then bath, but I don't think that works well for us. She still takes a while getting to sleep, which has been frustrating. But once she goes to sleep, she's been getting up at around 3, 6, then 9 (give or take a little!) to feed a little, then going right back to sleep. We've had a couple of rough nights, but those are to be expected. :) When she grows a little more, we'll be adding a book into the routine.

Diapering is going well, my wash every 3 days routine's going smoothly. My favorites so far has been the Thirsties fitteds. They're so soft, cute, and they seem to be more absorbent than the Kissaluvs. I wish I loved Kissaluvs fitteds better - the size 0's are supposed to fit up to 15 lbs, but I really don't know if they'll last that long. They're already pretty snug on Alaise. Also, they take SUPER long to dry. Which logically means it absorbs the most? I don't know. But it takes longer to dry than anything else I have. Prorap covers - absolute disappointment. I'm glad I only bought 3 of them, because I really really dislike them. I don't know if that's because Alaise was a big baby... But definitely won't buy any more of those. Thirsties Duos are awesome! Love the colors, the orange one is really really cute. I wish I had gotten the red one as well, I may get more of the next size up soon. :) Prefolds with covers have been working great as well.

Nursing's getting better, not because my supply has increased much, but because my attitude has improved. I've stopped stressing so much, and have started to just take it easy while doing what I can when I can. I pump as much/as often as I can without stressing too much, I take Fenugreek (which I haven't really noticed), and I supplement with my pumped milk or formula after nursing. (she's usually still hungry.) I pray and I visualize that my supply will increase. And that's all I can do. I'm doing the best I can without stressing myself out... When I was stressed, things were getting bad enough that I felt like I was fighting at every feeding. Now, I've grown to enjoy it more.

So, 1 month has gone by. I've cherished it. I can't wait for the ones to come.